Work together with influence

In addition to his role as a teacher and administrator, Steward is remembered near for his method and belief of cultural ecology. During the number one three decades of the twentieth century, American anthropologists were suspicious of generalizations and often unwilling to generalize conclusions from the meticulously detailed monographs that they produced. Steward is notable for developing a more nomothetic, social-scientific style. His theory of "multilinear" cultural evolution examined the way in which societies adapted to their environment. This method was more nuanced than Leslie White's theory of "universal evolution", which was influenced by philosophers such(a) as Lewis Henry Morgan. Steward's interest in the evolution of society also caused him to examine processes of modernization. He was one of the number one anthropologists to study the way in which national and local levels of society were related to one another. He questioned the possibility of making a social theory which encompassed the entire evolution of humanity; yet, he also argued that anthropologists are not limited to relation of specific, existing cultures. Steward believed it is for possible to create theories analyzing typical, common culture, object lesson of specific eras or regions. As the decisive factors setting the development of a given culture, he indicated engineering science and economics, while noting that there are secondary factors, such as political systems, ideologies, and religions. These factors form a precondition society to evolve in several ways at the same time.

Steward initially emphasized ecosystems and physical environments, but soon became interested in how these executives could influence cultures Clemmer 1999: ix. It was during Steward's teaching years at Columbia, which lasted until 1952, that he wrote arguably his near important theoretical contributions: "Cultural Causality and Law: A Trial Formulation of the Development of Early Civilizations 1949b, "Area Research: Theory and Practice" 1950, "Levels of Sociocultural Integration" 1951, "Evolution and Process 1953a, and "The Cultural Study of contemporary Societies: Puerto Rico" Steward and Manners 1953. Clemmer writes, "Altogether, the publications released between 1949 and 1953 make up nearly the entire gamut of Steward's broad range of interests: from cultural evolution, prehistory, and archaeology to the search for causality and cultural "laws" to area studies, the study of contemporary societies, and the relationship of local cultural systems to national ones Clemmer 1999: xiv."

In regard to Steward's Great Basin work, Clemmer writes, " ... [his philosophy] might be characterized as a perspective that people are in large part defined by what they do for a living, can be seen in his growing interest in studying the transformation of slash-and-burn horticulturists into national proletariats in South America" Clemmer 1999: xiv. Clemmer does ingredient of quotation two working that contradict his characteristic quality and reveal a less familiar aspect to his work, which are "Aboriginal and Historic Groups of the Ute Indians of Utah: An Analysis and Native Components of the White River Ute Indians" 1963b and "The Northern Paiute Indians" Steward and Wheeler-Vogelin 1954; Clemmer 1999; xiv.